A Spring Data Cleanup Can Be A Great Thing

You’d think with the rise of digital files there would be a lot less clutter in our lives. In many cases clutter has gotten worse. You can open a folder on your computer and sometimes find hundreds of files and photos that you don’t even need. You might also have a dozen email accounts or old digital receipts for that pair of pants you had dry-cleaned five years ago. A lot of this information is unnecessary and if you had received a paper file it would be long gone by now.

You need to be proactive about what you keep and what you get rid of. Do you really need that photo of your dessert that you shared on social media four weeks ago taking up space on your phone? Probably not.

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a digital hoarder. My devices, cloud storage, and email accounts are full of old notes, photos, Seamless receipts, bills, music, and videos.

I usually put off organizing them until it’s too late. Then, inevitably, I’ll pose to snap a selfie on vacation, and find my phone is out of memory. Or while I’m on deadline, I’ll get a notification saying my disk or cloud-storage space is full. And I live in dread of the day a hacker accesses some tidbit of personal or financial information that I’ve carelessly forgotten about.

So, I’ve decided it’s time to spring-clean my digital life.

Just as it’s traditional to clean out our closets, attics, and garages each spring, IT experts say it’s good practice to clear out and refresh your digital spaces at least once a year. It keeps them running smoothly and protects your security. It’s a hassle, sure, but spending an hour or two this weekend to get your digital house in order could save you an enormous amount of time, money, and heartache in the future. Here are few tips to get started.

Close unnecessary accounts

Many of us couldn’t easily list how many online accounts we have. There’s email (I have at least five accounts), social media, online shopping, banking, subscription services, and a myriad of others we may not even remember signing up for. Not knowing what data we have out there makes us vulnerable. Shared passwords and security questions are a hacker’s gateway into your private accounts.

Just as you wouldn’t live in a house full of newspapers from before you were born, you want to make sure that your digital existence is just as neat and tidy. The tips offered above make cleaning up your digital space easy.

Between smartphones, laptops, tablets and computers your digital storage space can be huge. This just makes it easier to fill up with stuff you don’t need or will easily forget about. The less junk you have to sift through the easier it will be to find the files that are actually important. You’ll also have more memory space to save projects that are current while disposing of information you no longer need.

It may seem like a daunting task to complete, but if you follow the tips and tricks we’ve just given you you’ll find that it’s easier than you think.